Darkness Descending
by Tandirra
Summary: NO SLASH. In the aftermath of Loki's temporary alliance with the Avengers a strange new face appears whose presence threatens to break the truce, and Loki. Follow up to Till the Ends. Minor swearing from Tony and angst from Loki.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own any of the Marvel Characters!**

This is a follow up to my fic To the Ends, so if you haven't read that you may get confused.

* * *

It had been relatively peaceful in the months sense Loki was allowed to 'recover' with the Avengers. There had been a few skirmishes, but the real surprise for most of them was that Loki hadn't already taken off or betrayed them. The only aggravating thing he did was make the occasional snide remark. But by now most of the team had felt he had overstayed his welcome.

"How the hell long are you going to stick around!?"

Clint found himself fighting next to Loki during one of the battles.

"Well I'm obviously still not fully recovered."

"Bullshit, it's been two and a half months."

"Has it? I had not realized."

Clint had to suppress the urge to fire an arrow directly into his face.

"I could just 'accidentally' hit you with an arrow right now, you know."

"That would not kill me, Barton."

"You almost died from being stabbed in the lung."

Loki shot him an indignant look.

"It was poisoned, and I was greatly weakened at the time!"

"I think you stick around because you like having friends."

"I do not need friends, I am a god!"

"You just admitted you don't have friends."

Loki gave him a nasty look and teleported away. After that Clint was extra careful not to be alone with Loki at any time.

"Has anyone seen Tony today?"

Steve walked into the main room where he saw Clint, eating a burrito and flipping channels, and Bruce looking at something on his laptop.

"I think he's down in his workshop, also I've been getting more abnormal readings."

Bruce said without looking up from what he was doing.

"Right, of course, Thanks Bruce."

Steve knocked on the workshop door, which was locked.

"Tony it's me, Steve, let me in. I have to ask you something."

After a few moments the door opened to show Loki, Steve could hear Tony working on something in the back.

"He is busy at the moment, would you like to leave a message for him?"

Steve scowled and walked past Loki.

"Well alright then, fine!"

Steve strode up to Tony, who was blasting music and welding something. He tapped Tony on his shoulder but he didn't respond. Steve rolled his eyes and went to turn off the music. Tony stopped what he was doing and looked up.

"Hey, woah, I was working! What do you want?"

"Alright, fine, shoot."

Steve stared at Loki, who scowled at him after a few moments.

"Fine, I get the message, I will leave."

Loki stormed out, closing the door behind him. Steve turned back to Tony, who was staring at him impatiently.

"What's oh-so important?"

"What were you doing in here?"

"That was your important question?"

"No, but I want to know."

"I was working, until you stopped me."

"Then what was Loki doing?"

"Just lurking, he wasn't hurting anything, or anyone. I think I'm going to teach him how to talk normally. I'm going to go crazy if I have to listen to two people who never use conjugations."

Steve rolled his eyes at Tony.

"Well anyway, what I actually came to say. Apparently, according to Bruce, there's been a small surge in the increase of…something, I can't remember exactly what he said."

"And he wants me to take a look at it?"

"Yes, exactly, can you?"

"You had to send Loki out of the room for that?"

"It might be him doing it, if it is then we can't let him know we are picking up on what he's doing."

Tony scowled, sighing, thoroughly frustrated.

"It's not Loki, stop jumping to conclusions. Will you ever trust him, even a little bit?"

"I've got no reason to."

"Fine, I'll go look at it then."

They reached the main room to find the rest of the team had come down, Thor was eating lunch at the table, Natasha was watching TV with Clint, and Loki, who was splayed out on a separate couch, immune to Clint's angry looks.

"So Bruce, what did you find?"

"Ah, good, Tony, look I've been seeing these-"

A dull boom sounded through the tower. Everyone stopped what they were doing and Loki shot up.

"That was an explosion!"

"Everyone suit up!"

A few minutes later the team re-assembled.

"It's Doombots again."

"Wasn't it them last time too?"

"Yes, now let's go."

As they reached the bots the sounds of explosions increased.

"Spread out and contain them, there doesn't seem to be too many and they seem to be focusing on only a few buildings."

The Avengers and Loki leapt to action. They found themselves fighting bots that didn't seem to be focusing on them. Soon Loki was inside one of the buildings, fighting. He turned to destroy a bot that had gotten close only to find it blasted apart. He grinned.

"Hello Tony."

"Thought you might need some help!"

Together they tore through the ranks of bots for a while more. Then a scream from the back of the building drew their attention. Loki turned to see a young woman backed into a corner, bots surrounding her. Tony turned and saw the scene as well.

"Loki magic her out of there or something!"

Loki prepared to loose a blast of energy but then the girl put her hand up.

"Enough!"

The lights burst, through the dark Loki could see a twisting, liquid like matter. He felt a strange sensation in his chest and his ears began to ring. Then the darkness lessened.

"Holy shit, was that you Loki?"

"Aah…no it was her."

They both turned to where the girl was standing, through the faint light they could see her watching them.

"Hey are you alright?"

"Umm…yeah I'm fine. Sorry."

"Oh, don't be sorry, you just saved your life, that was great. Here, let's come outside."

The three of them stepped outside. Loki turned to get a good look at the girl. She was maybe twenty or so, her blues eyes were currently looking up at the two men with intrigue. She had curly, platinum blonde, nearly white hair that fell messily around her pale face.

"So who are you?"

Tony asked her, trying to be as un-intimidating as possible. She glanced at him but then continued to stare at Loki.

"Nobody important. My name is Lilith."

"I think you could become somebody important. I'm Tony Stark by the way, if you don't know, and that's Loki."

"Right… So what are you going to do with me?"

She finally turned away from Loki to face Tony.

"If you wouldn't mind we would like you to talk to some higher ups."

She thought for a moment then nodded.

"Alright, I can do that."

* * *

**AN:** Inspiration strikes at the strangest times. Apparently I have more ideas in my head than I thought. The next chapter will be up tomorrow, most likely. How do you all like it so far?


	2. Chapter 2

The team stared through the one way glass at Fury and Lilith, who had been talking for some time.

"So she killed how many bots?"

"I'm not sure, a lot though…"

"Interesting."

"I think it's more interesting that she was absolutely checking out Loki."

Tony smirked, glancing at Loki who was staring at Lilith with a frown. Tony nudged him.

"What?"

"I said, she was totally checking you out."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Tony rolled his eyes.

"She likes the way you look."

"Well I do not like her."

"Why, afraid she might usurp your role as head magic user?"

Tony snickered but Loki only shifted uncomfortably and shook his head.

"Look, they've stopped talking."

Steve pointed out as Fury got up and walked towards the door, leaving Lilith sitting there fidgeting nervously.

"I need to talk to you all."

"What is it, director?"

"She doesn't have any important information and sense you have a habit of picking up strays I'm thinking you let her stay with you."

Fury glanced at Loki, who was standing with a look of unhappiness on his face.

"No, I do not think we-"

Clint shot him a look.

"You don't get a say in this."

"So what do you all think. It would be a good way to see the extent of her abilities and see how much of a threat she might be."

The team looked at each other and collectively nodded. Thor hesitated, glancing concernedly at Loki, before agreeing.

Back at base Tony showed Lilith her room.

"If you need anything just ask us or Jarvis, oh right, Jarvis this is Lilith, she's our honored guest for the time being."

"Nice to meet you ma'am."

Lilith stared at him with a look of pleased awe.

"You have a talking house…that is so awesome!"

"Yeah, thanks. Well make yourself at home. I'm going to be in the main room if you want anything."

As Tony walked by Loki's room he heard muffled muttering, pausing for a moment he then opened the door.

"Ummm….knock knock?"

Loki had really changed the room sense he had been here. Books lay neatly stacked everywhere, large curtains were draped over the windows. A large green rug in the center of the room was complimented by a tapestry of a snake that hung above the bed, occasionally moving and glittering with magic.

"I swear it feels like I'm walking into the Slytherin common room every time I come in here…Loki, you there?"

From behind one of the larger stacks of books Loki appeared, scowling.

"What do you want, Tony?"

"I want to know why you're sulking in your room."

"That is what I do."

"Okay smart ass, fair enough. But you're extra sulky today. This is about Lilith isn't it?"

Loki shook his head violently.

"I do not trust her in the slightest!"

"You're one to talk and anyway, she's done nothing wrong."

"I do not know why, but something about her…"

"Maybe if you get to know her, you know, talk to her, spar with her a bit, then maybe you'll get used to her more."

Loki flung himself down on his bead. Tony rolled his eyes.

"What time is it? I wish to sleep."

"It's eight-o clock, drama queen."

"Damn."

"Well if you decide to stop being a hermit I'll be down with the others."

Tony walked out, leaving Loki in the dark.

He walked into the main room, Natasha and Clint were watching TV, Steve was trying to teach Thor a card game, and Bruce was on his laptop again.

"So Bruce, about those readings…"

Bruce looked up.

"Oh, hey Tony. It's strange, they've gone away. The bots might have caused them, but I'm not sure…"

"Alright, tell me if anything else happens."

Tony went over and poured himself a drink, listening to Steve and Thor as he did.

"No, Thor, that's not how you play War. I thought you said you knew this game?"

"I do, you do not know how to play it correctly."

Tony grinned, then went over to the two agents.

"Where's Lilith?"

"Still in her room, assume, she looked pretty excited about it."

"Everyone should be glad to have another helping hand around here. Especially one as seemingly powerful as her."

"The only one who isn't is Loki."

"Yeah, well he can go-"

"Clint why do you hate him so much?!"

"Oh, I'm sorry but he brainwashed me and tried to kill us all _multiple times_. So excuse me if I'm-!"

"Boys, not tonight."

Natasha intervened before the argument got out of hand. Tony downed the rest of his drink.

An hour or so later Lilith bounded down to the room.

"Your house is fantastic! I've never seen one like it!"

"Oh, yeah, it's custom."

Lilith looked around the room at the team and then turned back to Tony.

"Where's Loki?"

"Erm…in his room, I guess…"

She sat down next to him.

"Does he always just sit in his room?"

"Sometimes, but usually I can get him to come down and spar with us."

"That sounds fun."

"We can do some tomorrow, it's a little late today."

The team sat around, joking and chatting with Lilith for the next few hours.

In the empty darkness of his room Loki lay awake.

"Sleep, dammit, sleep."

He muttered into the uneasy darkness. Something wasn't right, he could feel it yet he could not explain it. But he knew something was not right.

* * *

**AN:** I've already written out the next chapter, and I love it. I would might upload it today if I have time to type it out. What do you all think of it so far? Of Lilith? I've always loved creating characters and where she's going, well you'll see, but hopefully you all like it.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony looked up to see Loki shuffling into the room, deep bags under his eyes.

"You're up after me, that's a first."

Loki sat down at the table and put his head in his arms.

"I could not sleep last night."

Tony looked down at his fresh cup of coffee and then sighed, he walked over to Loki and sat it in front of him.

"Drink it, it'll wake you up."

Loki grabbed it and took slow sips while Tony went to make himself another cup.

"Where is everyone else?"

"Getting ready to start training, they didn't want to have to wait for you to get up."

Loki nodded and quickly finished the rest of his cup.

"Do you wish for me to wait for you?"

"Nah, I'll come down when I'm finished waking up."

When Loki entered the training room the team turned to look at him.

"Brother, it is good that you are here!"

He rolled his eyes but walked over to Thor, carefully avoiding Lilith, who was staring at him."

"Did I miss anything?"

"No brother, we were just deciding who would spar first. I-"

"I think Loki and Lilith should spar first."

Clint spoke up, a glint in his eye, he hadn't forgotten Loki's comment on not liking Lilith. A look of panic flashed for a moment in Loki's eyes, while Lilith looked pleased.

"Magic against magic, it would be a good way to test your skills, Lilith."

"I like it!"

"I do not."

Thor clapped Loki roughly on the back.

"Come now, brother. It would be a good way to help our new friend!"

Loki scowled, knowing that he couldn't back out now. The others stared at him.

"Fine, I shall spar with her, if only to stop your insistent pestering."

Loki and Lilith move to opposite sides of the room. The others moved to the outer wall to watch at a safe distance.

"Ready Loki?"

He nodded. Then summoned a blaze of energy and shot it towards her. She leapt out of the way, springing up to one knee. Something about her face changed and her blues eyes dyed black. Shadows engulfed the room and Loki felt the strange sensation in his chest again, worse this time. He gritted his teeth as wave of dizziness washed over him, he fell to one knee. He attempted to conjure a ball of light but it would not appear. The darkness wrapped around him, lifelike, constricting his chest. And again the stirring feeling. Whispers filled his head.

"Enough!"

He cried out desperately, the darkness lessened and the feeling went away. The lights returned with a flash and he realized he was on all fours.

"What the hell happened?"

Tony had just entered the room to see Loki on the ground, Lilith standing with her arms still slightly raised, and the rest of the team against the wall with expressions ranging from shocked to pleased. Loki struggled to his feet.

"We are done, no more."

Then he strode out of the room without another word. Tony tried to stop him as he passed but Loki shook him off.

"Okay, what did I miss?"

"Loki and Lilith were sparring and-"

"I think we just found a weapon against Loki when he betrays us."

Clint interrupted Steve. Lilith looked at him, confused.

" 'When he betrays us'…why would he do that?"

"Long, complicated story short; Loki is a bad guy."

Lilith blinked, a look of realization on her face.

"Oh."

The team then split up, Clint and Natasha practicing shooting targets and Steve going over to talk with Lilith. Bruce sat by the side to watch. Thor approached Tony with a concerned look.

"I am going to check on my brother. He seemed distressed."

"Yeah, he did."

Tony sipped on his second cup of coffee, waiting for Thor to return. During that time Steve had gone to shoot with Nat and Clint and Lilith had gone to sit with Bruce. The door opened and Thor walked in.

"What did he say?"

"My brother would not open his door to talk with me, could you, perhaps try and talk to him?"

"Oh, he's sulking, yeah I'll try and talk to him."

"I wish you luck."

Tony walked out of the room, leaving Thor watching him hopefully. He reached Loki's room and knocked on the door.

"Hey Loki, it's Tony, open up!"

No reply.

"Stop being a brat, open up!"

Again, nothing. Tony huffed, exasperated.

"Alright, but you made me. Jarvis open his door!"

"As you with, sir."

The first thing that struck Tony was how bright the room was, and how messy it was. The thick curtains lay in a heap on the floor, letting in a large amount of light. Any glowing orbs floated around the room, suspended and created by magic. Tony stepped over one of the many fallen stacks of books.

"Loki?"

Tony heard the sound of running water coming from the closed bathroom door.

"Loki I'm opening the door, don't be taking a shower."

He cracked the door open slightly and that the sound was coming from the sink, so he pushed the door all the way open.

Loki was slumped against the far wall of the bathroom, more of the floating lights surrounded him, bobbing softly. Tony approached him warily. Loki continued to stare off into space.

"Umm…earth to Loki?"

Without looking at him Loki shook his head. Tony kneeled down next to him.

"Loki, come on, talk to me, what's wrong?"

Loki's gaze drifted over him, still seemingly disconnected.

"I…I do not know…"

"What do you mean?"

Loki shook his head again.

"It is…her…her powers…I do not know! I do not know! I hate not knocking!"

The desperation cracked in his voice and the lights bobbed erratically.

"Try and explain, even a little bit."

Loki brought his hands to his face and let out a moan of frustration.

"When she used her powers against me…I…when she first saved herself from the bots did you feel anything strange? Be honest"

Tony thought back for a moment, then frowned and shook his head.

"No, I didn't."

"I…I did…I cannot explain. And then when I was sparring with her…"

Tony put a reassuring hand on Loki's shoulder.

"You don't have to spar with her again."

"Never again. Please, Tony, leave. Allow me to collect myself before I rejoin you and the others."

"Oh, of course, can I ask a question though?"

"I suppose, but I have no obligation to answer."

"Alright then what's with all the light, and also, why are you wasting my water?"

Tony hoped to add a bit of humor but it obviously was not getting through to Loki.

"That is two questions. The light is because I can no longer trust the dark…and the water I had to turn on because I could no longer stand the silence. Now, please, go."

Tony got up unwillingly, leaving Loki on the ground. He stood outside Loki's room as the door closed behind him.

"Shit, it's too early for this. Jarvis, keep an eye pn Loki, I don't want him doing anything stupid."

"As you wish, sir."

"Loki you are a norse pain in my ass sometimes, but others, I legitimately worry about you…"

Tony muttered, walking down the hall to rejoin the others.

Later that evening the team sat idly joking and watching movies. Tony often found himself staring out into the darkness outside, remembering what Loki had said about not trusting the dark. He wished Loki would just come down already, but now he knew it would probably not be until tomorrow. Tony glanced at Lilith, who was laughing at a joke Clint had made. He wondered how here powers could so, unwittingly, affect a person as badly as they affected Loki.

"…Stop…"

Now that the day was over darkness had begun to creep into the corners of Loki's room. Every so often his magic lights would flicker, allowing the darkness to creep closer to him. He had gone through nearly all of his books, yet had found nothing to explain. Now he lay sprawled out on his bed.

"Must not fall asleep…must not…"

Loki mumbled into the emptiness, for if he fell asleep the lights would go out and the darkness would engulf him. Even now the whispers of the dark returned to him.

"_Monster…unwanted…failure…insane_…"

Loki realized the words were coming out of his own mouth, unwarranted. Loki brought his hands to his face and held back an anguished cry.

"Go away…I am not…_go away_!"

* * *

**AN:** I got it done today, great. How do you all like it? I seem to find way too much joy in making Loki miserable, I'm sorry. I am currently writing the next chapter so I'm not sure when it will be up. At least for this story I have a clear goal, to be honest Till the Ends was just me making up bits and pieces as I went along.


	4. Chapter 4

Over the next few days Loki would come down later and later. When Tony would check on him he would find Loki asleep, with all of the lights on. Tony had to assume that Loki would only sleep once the sun was up. He wasn't the only one to notice Loki's absences, though.

"Is Loki still sulking about being beat by Lilith?"

Clint asked Tony once day at lunch. Lilith looked up, concerned.

"I should go apologize to him…"

"No! No, don't, that won't change anything, trust me."

Tony interjected quickly. A few minutes later Loki shambled into the room. Everyone watched as he went over to lie on the couch, without a word. Tony got up and moved to the kitchen.

"Loki, do you want anything to eat?"

"No."

"To bad, you're eating something."

Tony searched for what to give Loki, he finally decided on cereal, even though it was technically lunch time. He brought a bowl over to where Loki was lying.

"Look I don't care if you only eat a spoonful, just eat something, it'll wake you up. Do you want coffee?"

Loki stared at him tiredly.

"Stop mothering me, Tony. Although yes, a coffee would not hurt."

Thor came over to sit with Loki while Tony made a cup. The others returned to what they were doing before, Lilith's gaze lingering on Loki a moment longer than the rest.

"Brother, are you well?"

"Absolutely fine Thor, stop worrying about me. I am not a child."

"But you are still my little brother."

"Thor!"

Loki sat up indignantly, he glared at Thor for a few moments, then grabbed the bowl of cereal. By the time Tony came back Loki had finished eating.

"Yeah, not hungry, right."

That earned him a scathing look from Loki as he handed over the coffee.

"Erm, hi."

Loki jumped, Lilith had come over to stand near them. She stood awkwardly for a moment before taking a seat across from them. Loki looked away pointedly.

"Umm…I'm sorry, for whatever I did."

Tony could see Loki digging his fingernails into his hands, his entire body was tense.

"There is…no need. I am fine."

Loki got up quickly and moved briskly toward the hallway. As he reached the door way the building shook, everyone jumped up.

"Sir, Doombots have entered the lobby."

"Everyone suit up!"

Loki pressed against the door way as Steve, Tony, Natasha, Clint, and Lilith rushed past. Thor held out his hand.

"Brother, I would duck."

Loki dodged out of the way as Mjolnir flew down the hall towards Thor. Bruce spoke up.

"I'm going to sit this one out, I don't want to wreck the building."

They looked out the window to see Tony fly past.

"Mr. Stark requests that you would join him down in the lobby as soon as possible."

Loki reached the lobby to find Tony fighting with the bots.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Building! Oh, good you're here, finally!"

Before long the others joined the fight. One of the bots grabbed Loki and he drew a dagger to stab at it, but before he could a tendril of smoky darkness wrapped around it, crushing the bot. Loki looked up to see Lilith, standing with her hand pointing towards him. He hesitated then gave a quick nod of thanks, before continuing to fight. Every so often more bolts of twisting darkness would fly past Loki, narrowly missing him.

There were so many bots and fighting in such a small place was limiting the team's ability to attack back. Loki found himself standing side by side with Lilith. She looked at him for a second, a look of surprise on her face.

"Can you do anything to take them out?"

"Not without destroying this floor, which would be catastrophic to the building."

"Right…I'm going to try something."

Loki gave her a wary look.

"Should I get away?"

"Yeah, probably. I'll give you a minute."

She started counting down under her breath as Loki worked his way through the bots. He turned to watch as Lilith summoned a twisting nebula of darkness around her. She gave a quick shout and the darkness shot out. Loki watched as it destroyed all the bots in its path. The wave passed through Steve without harming him. That was the last thing Loki saw before the wave hit him. His vision went dark, the awful feeling engulfed him and he fell to the ground.

"Monster…Unworthy!"

The whispers were no longer whispers, they rose and fell in a chanting cadence, the ground shifted and tilted, scenes flashed before his eyes, melding in and out of the darkness.

A frozen waste, a blue hand. Staring down at an old relic, uncertainty. Handing off the broken Bifrost, falling. Standing before the Other, pain. A dagger piercing his lung, cold.

"Nooo!"

"Loki, Loki wake up!"

Someone was shaking him, he opened his eyes. Loki lay sprawled on the floor, gasping with unsteady breaths. Tony and Thor hovered over him.

"Loki it's alright, you're alright, you're safe."

He lay there a few seconds more then lurched to a sitting position. A wave of dizziness washed over him, he could still feel his heart racing.

"I…what happened after..?"

Tony glanced a Thor then returned his gaze to Loki.

"Well…umm, Lilith's blast destroyed all the bots and we were all celebrating. Then…I noticed you on the floor and, erm…you were having some kind of fit."

"It did not affect you?"

"No, none of us."

Loki stumbled to his feet. Tony tried to help him but Loki pulled away.

"I…T am going to be in my room."

He teleported away with a flash of green light. Tony stood, staring at the space where Loki had been. He turned back to the rest of the team, who were watching. Tony stamped his foot.

"Dammit, Loki!"

The team watched as Tony rushed to the elevator. When he had left they glanced at each other.

"I really do want to know what happened."

"We all do."

"You heard him, right? When Tony was trying to wake him up. Moaning 'no' and 'monster'…"

Steve looked around at the wrecked room, at his team mates, at the space where Loki had lay. He put a reassuring arm around Lilith, who was staring at where Loki had disappeared.

"It's not your fault. I doesn't affect the rest of us, only Loki. It's not your fault."

She nodded slowly. Steve glanced up at Thor, who was watching them with a sorrowful expression.

"Do you want to go talk to Loki?"

"If only I could. The only person who has any chance of getting to my brother is Tony…"

"Loki, dammit, open this door! Jarvis!"

Tony stood pounding on Loki's door.

"Sir, he has sealed the door with magic, it will not open."

Tony kicked the door in a fit of frustration. Then he thought up an idea.

"Loki, you've made me desperate."

A few minutes later he blasted through the windows. He flipped his helmet up to get a better look around. The room was in an even greater state of disarray, although the now broken window didn't help. The tapestry that hung above Loki's bed had been torn down, books lay scattered with pages torn out of them, that fluttered in the wind from outside. Tony heard shouting coming from the bathroom. He burst in just in time to see Loki put a fist through the mirror, shattering it.

"Loki!"

Loki turned to look at him, desperation and confusion etched in every line of his face. The Trickster stared at Tony, with a gaze like a wounded animal, for a few moments. He held up a hand, bloodied by the glass, as if to ward off Tony.

"How did you..?"

"Doesn't matter, what were you shouting at?"

Loki glanced at his bloodied hand, at his reflection in the shattered mirror, and back at Tony. He shook his head.

"A monster…"

Tony stared at Loki, then at the mirror, then back to Loki.

"…Oh…No, no, Loki…"

Tony couldn't think of anything else to say so he hugged the god. After a few moments Loki stopped supporting himself. Tony grunted, Loki was heavier than he looked, if he hadn't been wearing the suit they might have gone down.

"Loki, come on, it's alright."

The god slipped out of is grasp and walked into the other room.

"You…you destroyed my window."

"You're my friend, I wasn't going to leave you alone like this."

Loki sat down upon his head, softly stroking the fallen tapestry.

"Heroes should not be friends with monsters."

"You're not a monster."

"I am, in every sense of the word, I am also mad."

Tony sat next to him.

"Loki…what happened while you were unconscious?"

"I…I do not wish to discuss it. But I can no longer summon light."

Loki looked sorrowfully at Tony, opening and closing his hand.

"Any light I had left is leaving me, Tony. With it goes my sanity…I should leave, before I hurt you, before I go mad."

"You're not going to go crazy."

"Darkness is a dangerous thing, Tony. It is more than simple shadows, it is power, it is lies, and hate, and deceit."

Loki let out a short, bitter laugh.

"Does that sound familiar at all? I am so much darkness, Tony, I am not sure how much more I can contain before it is too much."

Tony stared at Loki, he had nothing to say. What is there to say to that.

Later that night Loki lay in darkness, listening to the voices of doubt. He could almost feel the darkness stroke his face.

"So much darkness, however much you try to ignore it. So much…delicious darkness…"

The shadows whispered into his ear.

"Come back home to what you are, child…"

Loki lurched to a sitting position. That was it, home.

"Asgard, Asgard will hold the answers. Home, I must go home!"

Even if his hope was misguided Loki had to try. There had to be a healer, a book, something that held the answers to what he needed. As he listen to the voices of the darkness, the trickster god, for the first time in days, had hope.

* * *

**AN:** I finished this chapter more quickly than I thought I would. Apparently watching Thor, again, helps with writing. What do you think? Of what Loki's going through? Of Lilith, who will get more interesting in chapters to come, promise. Of her powers, and their affect on Loki? I would love feedback.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Tony walked into the main room to find Thor and Loki, fully dressed, discussing something. He stared at them, uncomprehending.

"What's going on?"

The two gods looked up at him. Thor smiled, while Loki played with his hands nervously.

"Ah, Tony! My brother has decided to return to Asgard for a time!"

"What, why?!"

"It may hold the answers I require. Also it may do me some good to get away for a bit."

Tony stared at him.

"How are you going to get there? I thought that…bridge, was destroyed."

"I know many passageways in between realms, we will use one of those."

"I am going to say goodbye to the others before we leave, it will only take a moment, brother."

"You do that, Thor."

Thor walked out of the room, leaving Tony and Loki alone.

"I remember you saying that if you went back to Asgard they would imprison you."

"I said 'most likely imprison me', and yes, they most likely will. But it is a risk I have to take. I must get answers."

Loki glanced out the window, looking over the city. Tony couldn't read the expression on his face.

"Well, good luck."

"Thank you, I have a feeling I may need it when my talk with the All-Father comes."

"Where is that 'secret passage' by the way?"

Tony asked as he went to make coffee.

"Oh it is in Central Park."

Tony nearly dropped his cup.

"What?!"

Loki smirked at him.

"Are you really that surprised?"

"Nah, I guess not…this city has everything, a portal to another world should be expected, I guess…"

Tony was halfway through is cup of coffee by the time Thor returned.

"Finally, brother, I was starting to think you had gotten lost. Let us go now."

Thor turned to Tony and held out his hand.

"We shall return as quickly as possible, farewell Tony."

Tony shook his hand and turned to Loki.

"Yes, goodbye Tony, until I see you again."

Loki gave him a quick handshake. Tony watched the two gods leave. He sat alone in the main room, lost in thought.

* * *

"Brother you are incredibly clever to find these passages."

"I know."

They had just passed through the rip and stood staring at the grand palace of Asgard from across the sea. Loki felt a mix of conflicting feelings.

"Hopefully Heimdall will have noticed your presence by now and will inform Odin."

Just as he hoped, and dreaded, ships soon appeared on the horizon, speeding towards them. When the ships got close enough Loki saw who was on them, he groaned.

"Oh joy…"

Lady Sif and the Warriors Three stepped off the skiffs, their weapons trained on Loki. Thor tried to intervene.

"My friends, it is good to see you, but Loki is not here to cause trouble."

Sif glanced at Thor, then turned back to Loki.

"All-Father's orders, Thor. Loki must be taken to him immediately."

Loki sighed and held out his hands to be cuffed.

"Well am not surprised. Let us get this over with."

Loki entered the throne room, in chains, and surrounded by the others. Guards stood alert, lining the path. Loki looked up, on the grand throne sat Odin, Frigga stood off to the side, both watched the group approach. They stopped at the foot of the throne and the others bowed. Loki continued to stare at Odin.

"Guards, leave us."

When only Frigga, Thor, and Loki were left in the hall Odin spoke again.

"You returned of your own free will, knowing full well that you would be imprisoned for your crimes, why?"

"I have…personal interests. Questions that I wish to be answered. If I must go through the process first than I will."

"You are a traitor and a criminal."

Loki nodded and gave Odin a defiant smile.

"Yes, I am."

"Father."

Thor intervened, placing a hand on Loki's shoulder.

"Father, brother has been with me on Midgard for some time. During that time he has developed a friendship with one of the migrations, helped us protect the realm, and, on occasion…shown remorse for his previous actions."

Loki listened to his brother's words without taking his eyes off Odin.

"And most recently brother has not been healthy. He may not with to tell you, but I believe he requires some form of healing."

Loki suppressed a snarl, that was certainly more information than Odin had needed. He glanced at Frigga, who was watching with a worried expression. He turned back to Odin.

"So what shall my sentence be, All-Father."

"Until I reach a final verdict you shall remain confined to your old quarters, guarded at all times. You will be allowed to move within the palace walls, but only with a guard."

Loki let Odin's words sink in. He suppressed a smile, Odin had given him exactly what he wanted.

"I shall be his guard!"

Thor spoke up, both Odin and Loki looked at him. Then Odin nodded.

"Very well, now take him to his chambers."

Thor put a hand on Loki's shoulder and they walked out. When they reached the doors to Loki's room they paused, two guards waited outside.

"Brother when you wish to go somewhere inform the guards. I will escort you."

Loki nodded, Thor hesitated, then left. Loki entered his room, it was exactly as he remembered it. Loki flipped through some of his books, noting the lack of dust, someone had kept his room clean. He heard the door open and he turned.

"Hello mother."

Frigga walked over to him, a sad smile on her face.

"Loki, I am glad you are home."

"I am only here because I require information."

"Yes, I heard. What does Thor mean by-"

"Thor is wrong, I do not require healing! I am simply looking for an explanation."

Frigga smiled knowingly.

"You have always been a good liar, but I know something is not right."

Loki couldn't help but smile slightly for a moment. Frigga cupped his cheek, sadness in her eyes.

"You have changed so much, I am truly sorry. You do not have to tell me, but know, I worry about you as your mother. I shall come back later."

Loki watched the doors close behind her. He turned back to his room and got to searching his book, he would love to visit the library later, perhaps a soul forge if he got desperate. Often times as he searched Loki would find himself staring out over the city. This was not his home anymore, and he knew that, yet…old habits die hard. As the light faded a growing sense of dread washed over him. Then the voices returned.

"Cannot run…from who you are. No home to scurry back to, face your truth, monster."

Loki dropped the book he was holding and lurched to the bed.

"Nooo…"

"Cannot flee from yourself…"

From all around him, from in him, the darkness laughed, cold, clear, mocking. He pressed his hands against his head yet the sound did not leave.

"Go away!"

"Loki!"

Mixed in with the hundreds of voices chanting their maddening mantra he heard someone else. He looked but could see nothing but endless dark, then soft hands touched his face.

"Mother…"

The darkness lessened considerably.

"Loki, Loki, my son…"

Her voice still intermingled with the malicious dark.

"Mother, please, I…summon light, please…"

After a moment orbs of lights popped into existence. Loki's head cleared and the voices turned to whispers that clung to his mind like cobwebs. Frigga gazed down at him.

"Oh Loki. This is what you did want to tell me. oh Loki."

She pulled him into a hug, one that Loki had been given many times before as a child, but rejected in later years. And has she hugged him the whispers of unwanted fell away, providing a moments peace, before the other voices increased in intensity. He allowed himself to be a child for a few moments more, then straightened. Frigga drew back.

"Mother, I-"

Loki stopped, realizing his voice was shaking. He distracted himself by watching the soft lights Frigga had conjured.

"How did you…why were you here?"

"I told you I would return, and, I wished to see how far you had gotten with your research."

"Not far enough, I have found nothing of use so far."

"I know the effects, may I know the reasons now? I may be able to help."

Loki sighed, ducking his head, there was truly nothing left to lose. He did not start with the arival of Lilith, yet with his saving of Tony and everything that had transpired then, working his way up to the arrival of Lilith. By the time he finished the sky visible from his balcony had become considerably darker. Frigga listened intently. When he finished she stayed quiet for a few moments.

"So this started happening with the arrival of this girl…"

"I thought that getting away would help, but no, it did not, at all…"

"Perhaps tomorrow you should visit a soul forge, you said the feeling is worst when her magic has directly struck you. Perhaps some form of darkness has attached itself to you."

"But the others were in the room as well, yet they were not affected."

Frigga gave him a sad smile.

"You are not like the other, perhaps your magic causes some kind of reaction."

"Or differences in my mind and body."

Loki muttered darkly, not looking at Frigga. He felt her weight vanish from the edge of the bed and he looked up. She had stood up, gazing at him with a small frown.

"Loki, do not dwell on what you cannot change, it will only bring you misery."

Loki heard her words yet the old anger was resurfacing, goaded on by the taunting voices. Old frustration boiled within him.

"Leave now…please."

Frigga recognized his tone, she sighed and moved towards the door. She gave him one last look, then left. Her lights stayed, Loki would have been grateful, but he was simply so angry. The voices tittered then continued to goad him. When was the last time he had been this angry? His fingers twitched hungrily, he wanted to lash out, at the world, at everyone who had wronged him.

"That will accomplish nothing!"

He hissed into the empty room.

"Has not stopped you before, and it felt sooo good didn't it?"

The voices cackled in his head. Loki lashed out, sending a whip-like energy, only succeeding in toppling one of his stacks of books.

"You should not be here, there is light!"

"On the outside, yes, but that matters not…"

Loki realized he was having a conversation with nothingness. His magic lashed out without consent.

"I am not crazy!"

He cried out, snarling at the emptiness, at the voices, at the darkness. The dancing darkness swirled around his solitary pool of light, hissing, thrashing, taunting. Churning emotions raged, whipped up by the darkness.

"I am stronger than you!"

* * *

**AN:** You know I realized I would have to write Odin and panicked a bit, to be honest I wasn't sure how to make him believable and go along with my plan. Although writing Frigga was fun. Also writing angsty Loki is fun, but maybe I'm just a horrible person.


	6. Chapter 6

Thor stood, gazing out over the city, it was good to be home. Perhaps he would spar while waiting for Loki to call for him. Loki, Loki, Loki, his brother's plight filled his mind, if only Loki would talk to him, but no, only Tony had Loki's trust.

"I am surprised. It is prime time for sparring, yet I find you here."

Thor turned, Frigga smiled at him from the doorway.

"Mother, it is good to see you!"

"And you as well. It is good to have you home, even if it is only for the time being."

Despite the smile on her face and in her eyes Thor could detect a hint of worry. That surprised him, she and Loki had always been so careful about concealing their negative emotions.

"Have you been to visit Loki yet?"

"Yes, I visited him last night…I assumed you were out with your friends, and I wished to see how he fared."

Thor nodded, he had indeed been out with the Warriors Four, it had been good to talk and drink with his old friends again.

"And how does he fare?"

"You know as well as I do, if not better. I only spoke to him for a small amount of time in a single night, you have been with him for longer."

"But he does not trust me like you."

"You should go to him, we both know his stubbornness and pride will stop him from asking for help. Take him to the library, or perhaps a soul forge, either may prove helpful."

Thor nodded, then smiled at his mother.

"Yes, of course. Your advice has never failed me yet. I shall speak with you more later, mother."

Thor reached Loki's chambers. The two guards saluted him.

"I require entrance."

The guards opened the doors and Thor entered. Loki's room looked as the last time he remembered, neat and clean. It had been an insult, as if the room was mocking him, that had been he day after Loki had fallen from the Bifrost, when he though he had lost his brother forever. The main room was empty, Thor had to assume Loki was out on his balcony. As Thor walked towards the closed curtains he noticed something off with a mirror that hung on the wall. It did not reflect him only the room behind him. He paused for a few moments, staring at the anomaly, then he pulled away. When he got closer to the balcony Thor heard soft music drifting from outside, he pulled back the curtain. Loki was focusing on a book in one hand and with the other magicking a small, floating harp, which explained the music. Loki had not noticed him, Thor came up and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Brother, I ha-"

Loki jumped and the harp crashed to the ground, with it the current balcony and room dissolved away. The pristine curtains Thor had pushed aside were singed and torn, he glanced back to see the neat room he had walked through wrecked. Thor turned back to Loki. His brother simply sat there, the book he had been so intent upon fallen to the ground.

"Loki, I…I am sorry"

"You should be, I did not call for you."

His voice was cold, controlled, but Thor could hear the tension behind it. Thor backed up, he did not want to be on the receiving end of Loki's rage. He thought quickly for what to say.

"I…mother sent me."

"Mother sent you…"

Loki echoed coolly, he stood up in a fluid motion and walked inside, Thor followed warily. As they walked back through the wrecked room Thor thought of what to say to avoid a fight. Without looking at him Loki picked up a shard of the shattered mirror, inspecting it.

"I seem to have made quite the mess…"

"Do you…wish to visit anywhere?"

Loki turned to him for the first time, his eyes glittered dangerously, like a snake.

"There are many places I would like to go, Thor, but most of them I cannot."

"Perhaps the library…or the soul forges…"

Loki licked his lips, his face portraying no emotions.

"I assume mother told you that…"

"It is sound advice."

The dangerous light suddenly left Loki's eyes, leaving him looking tired and defeated.

"That it is. Take me to the soul forges."

Thor was taken aback for a moment, their arguments never concluded that quickly.

"I have to shackle you…"

Loki nodded tiredly and held out his hands.

When they reached the soul forges healers greeted them.

"Prince Thor, prince Loki, we were informed you may have been coming, please, this way."

Thor glanced at Loki as they walked, who looked very uncomfortable. They were led into a single room by four healers.

"What do you require from us?"

Thor nodded towards Loki, who shifted nervously, rattling his chains.

"I require a simple…scan."

The lead healer bowed, then gestured to the forge.

"Very well, please lie- oh"

She stared at the chains.

"Those must come off…"

Thor glanced at Loki who stared back at him, offering his hands out to be unshackled. He nodded and quickly took them off.

"Now please, prince Loki, lie here. What should we be looking for?"

Loki lay tensely on the slab of the forge, feeling incredibly vulnerable.

"If it is there you shall know it when you see it."

Loki watched as the healers began to work, their brows furrowed with concentration. He glanced at Thor who stood off to the side, watching. After many, long minutes the healer turned to address him.

"Prince Loki, due to your slightly different internal structure it has been hard to determine. The only abnormal thing we can find is an increased amount of brain activity."

Loki let those words sink in.

"No, no, there has to be something…you must have missed something…"

The healers stepped back and Thor rushed forward as Loki sat up. He wrung his hands agitatedly.

"We are sorry, but we were most thorough."

Loki scowled, shaking his head disbelievingly. He moved towards the door, then realized Thor wasn't following.

"We are leaving now, brother."

Thor held out the shackles and looked at Loki apologetically.

"These must go back on."

Loki stared at the chains, hesitating for a tense moment. He sighed and slowly extended his arms, Thor shackled him.

"Now may we go?"

Loki was not hiding the impatience in his voice. The healers bowed as they left.

"Where do you want to go now, brother?"

They walked through the halls of the palace. Loki moved quickly despite the restricting chains.

"To the library, obviously."

"How long will we be there?"

Loki gave him an annoyed look.

"Until just before sundown, it is quite a large place, if you do not remember, and it will take me more than a single day to search through it all."

They entered the grand library and Loki went straight to reading. Thor followed him, glancing around the hall. He had to wonder when the last time he had spent any significant time in here was. This had always been Loki's place, it was often the first place Thor would check when looking for his brother. But he had never really taken the whole place in.

"Nothing…"Thor was distracted momentarily by Loki, who had set one book down and went for another, before returning to gazing around the hall. Grand arches on one wall led out to the gardens, letting in large amounts of light and the sounds and smells of the vast palace gardens. Hundreds of shelves of books, tomes, and scrolls lined the walls and created alcoves. Thor had to admit, it was quite a peaceful place, he could see why Loki had spent so much of his time here.

Just then two ravens flew in from the gardens and landed next to him. He looked around, Odin had entered the hall and was walking towards him. Thor looked over at Loki, who hadn't noticed the ravens' presence and sat buried in a book a few rows away. Odin reached him and Thor inclined his head respectfully.

"Father."

Odin watched Loki for a few moments then turned to Thor.

"I see you are fulfilling your promise, good."

"What brings you here, father?"

"My son has returned from his time on Midgard and I sense he has strong opinions on important matters. Is that a good reason?"

"You want to hear my opinion on Loki?"

Thor glanced at his brother again, who had still not noticed Odin's presence.

"If you will give it to me, yes."

Despite Odin's words Thor knew that he had no option, he would give his father information.

"What I said yesterday in Loki's defense I believe. He may not be entirely stable but he is certainly more receptive than before. This most recent problem may cause him to either be drawn closer to his old self, or pushed farther away from us."

Odin regarded him in silence for a few moments.

"Is this your fondness for him biasing your opinion or do you speak from your mind?"

"I am as unbiased as I can be, it would be impossible to ignore that he is my brother, but I truly agree with my thoughts."

"Thor have you-"

Loki had turned to where Thor and Odin were sitting. He stared at Odin for a few moments with a look of shock on his face. Then he composed himself, Thor could see his defenses being built.

"All-Father."

Loki inclined his head slightly, not taking his eyes off Odin. Thor glanced between them. Odin stood up, his ravens hopping onto his shoulders.

"I shall speak with you further at another time."

"Yes father."

After Odin had left Loki sat down opposite of Thor. He commenced staring at Thor with a hint of betrayal in his eyes.

"What was that about?"

"Father was simply inquiring about my thoughts."

"About me."

"I did not say-"

"It is not hard to guess, Thor."

Thor sighed, his brother had always been so perceptive.

"Yes, he asked for my thoughts on you."

Loki raised an eyebrow and leaned forward.

"Well?"

"I…I told him that you are at least trustworthy enough to not lock up."

"Loki stared at him unblinkingly. Thor wasn't sure what his brother was thinking.

"Did you tell him about this morning?"

"Ah-no. I told him nothing about what has transpired today."

Loki nodded and stood up, continuing his search. After a few moments he looked over his shoulder at Thor.

"Thank you, brother."

Loki searched through much of the day. At one point the set a large tome down in front of Thor.

"Here, you looked bored, this may interest you. It encompasses all recorded wars and large skirmishes in all realms, even Midgard. Perhaps you shall find something of your friend Steve in there. It even has illustrations."

Thor had been confused, the tome looked to be very old, how could it have recent wars? He had skimmed through it, noting the changes in writing, each new war had been added to the tome as they came and went.

"Thank you, Loki."

It was indeed an entertaining read, which went into surprising detail over the wars. Every so often Thor would look up to check on Loki. He couldn't help but notice how content Loki looked. He had to assume that being in a place that Loki had spent so much time in would relax him considerably. At one time Loki hurried over to him.

"Do not worry, Thor, we will not be much longer. You seem to be enjoying that."

"Yes, thank you for showing it to me."

Loki nodded and went back to searching. Thor continued to read through the tome. He decided to flip to a random entry, Thor closed his eyes and chose a page. When he opened them he got a shock. It was the first battle with Loki on Earth. A full length entry, riddled with illustrations that must have been taken from Midgardian photos. Thor pent a long time reading it and looking at the careful illustrations. He heard someone walk up to the table.

"Alright Thor, I am ready to return to my chambers. What battle are you pouring over so intently by the way?"

Loki glanced over his shoulder, Thor tried to cover the page up, but a detailed sketch of a Chitauri peeked out from under his arm.

"Oh…I see…"

Thoe looked up helplessly at Loki, who stood holding a large stack of scrolls and tomes.

"I…I am sorry. I flipped to it on accident."

He stood up and the two of them walked toward the exit. Loki glanced nervously at the fading light, then scowled, mumbling something under his breath.

"Did you find anything useful, brother?"

"Perhaps, that is why I am taking these."

"I was under the impression that you could not take things from the royal library."

Loki glanced at him, a glint of humor in his eyes.

"Well yes, perhaps, but I have always had a way with the scribes, they usually let me take a few, as long as I return them."

Thor smiled, gladdened by the lightness in Loki's voice. They reached Loki's chambers and Thor paused.

"I am glad to have been able to help you today."

"Yes Thor, I will speak with you later."

And with that Loki entered his room, leaving Thor outside. The guards glanced at him and Thor gave them a reassuring smile.

The first thing Loki noticed when he stepped into his room was the neatness. He had expected to find as he had left it, yet it was impeccable. Then he noticed the large amount of candles placed around the room. Next to his bed sat a platter of bread. Loki set the tomes down and picked up a roll, after sniffing it carefully he bit into it, then smiled slightly.

"Thank you, mother."

Loki murmured into the emptiness. He allowed himself to savor the bread for a few moments longer, then started searching through the scrolls and tomes. They had been picked by how promising they sounded, one about curses of the mind, another about magic defects, and so on. When he looked at the bottom one he frowned.

"Midgardian Gods and Demons."

This was not supposed to be here. Loki thought back, he must have placed it in the wrong stack. He sighed, exasperated, but then opened it. He had all night thanks to the candles Frigga had placed, he had also noticed that the voices seemed quietest while he read. He had time to amuse himself. Loki flipped to the L section and began turning pages.

"Midgardians have created a large amount of gods, haven't they…"

He was flipping quickly when something caught his eye. The entry read Lilith. Loki raised an eyebrow, although this meant little, Midgardians often copied names, still, he read the passage. Apparently the name had many uses throughout shor, Midgardian history, but one in particular caught his eye.

"Hebrew…Lilith or Lilit, means night monster or night hag…"

The voices flared up for a moment, breaking his concentration. After Loki regained control he continued reading, taking note every time night or darkness appeared. Overall the section painted this Lilith in a negative light, either being demonic, or deadly. Once he had finished Loki sat the tome down, ruminating on the matter while attempting to ignore the hissing voices. It could be a coincidence, but the universe was rarely so careless. Yet he could not simply barge in and accuse her of being a demon, he doubted he could even leave Asgard, for Odin had not ruled his punishment yet. But the team could be in trouble, Loki scowled and began to pace. The voices picked up.

"Silence."

"…traitor…selfish…weak…"

"I said, silence!"

Loki stood there, wrestling with his mind until he regained control again. What to do. He had to consult with Thor, but if he demanded to speak with him now the guards would suspect something and most likely inform Odin. He would have to wait until morning. Of course, none of this explained what was wrong with him, but that mattered not now. If Lilith was somehow connected to the Midgardian mythological Lilith in any way, it could cause great problems.

* * *

**AN:** Just so you know, Wikipedia is very informative on names. Very helpful for Lilith. The next chapter will be up some time in the next few days, not many left now. What do you think?


	7. Chapter 7

**This is the final chapter, I was going to have another in between this and the previous but I scrapped it.**

* * *

Come morning Loki knocked on his door. One of the guards opened it.

"I wish to ask for Thor to come as quickly as possible."

The guard nodded and lock him inside again. Loki sat, impatiently waiting for Thor to show up. When the door opened again he jumped up.

"Finally, lis-"

He stopped short, five guards entered the room. He instinctually took up a defensive stance, eyeing them warily.

"What are you doing here? I called for Thor."

"Odin has summoned you to give your sentence, we are to take you to him."

Loki stood there, taken aback, as they shackled him tightly. He didn't resist, yet let them lead him out of his room, for likely the last time. As they walked Loki tried to gather his thoughts.

"Has Thor been informed of this?"

"No, he has not."

Loki's stomach lurched, that was not good. If Thor hadn't been told then the All-Father did not wish for him to interfere. Loki did not like that his fate rested solely in Odin's hands.

"Why has he not been informed?"

Loki did not get an answer. He entered the throne room and his sense of dread increased. When they reached the foot of the throne, where Odin sat, the guards bowed and stood, flanking Loki. Odin stood, griping Gungnir, and Loki managed a defiant smile.

"Hello again, All-Father."

Odin continued to stare down at him in silence. Loki quickly grew impatient, if Odin was to punish him why should he have to wait? He was about to speak again when Odin finally responded.

"What do you think your punishment should be?"

"Well, to be honest, I doubt my vote holds any sway over my fate."

"Duly noted."

They stood in silence. Loki felt as if he was being mocked, there was no need for this.

"You know what my crimes entail, eternal imprisonment or…death."

Loki hated that he couldn't suppress the hint of fear in his voice. He continued to stare at Odin, waiting apprehensively.

"Those are indeed the normal punishments for crimes of your caliber."

"Loki's mouth went dry.

"Well?"

"Under normal circumstances I would choose you punishment accordingly, there would be no other options. These, however, are not normal circumstances."

"What do you mean, All-Father?"

"Thor has told me of your most recent actions on Midgard, of your alliance with the Midgardians, much like his. It seems that your time would be better spent repaying for your crimes on Midgard than locked deep within a dungeon here."

Loki stood, shocked. After he gathered his thoughts he addressed Odin again.

"Thank you, All-Father."

"Now go, I think you shall find Thor back at your chambers, as you requested."

The guards unshackled him. Loki stood there for a moment more, then bowed slightly to Odin, turned, and ran out of the hall to tell Thor what had happened.

"Brother! Why are you out of your room, where are the guards? What have you done?"

Loki skidded to a halt inside his room, Thor stood, staring at him questioningly.

"Odin has sentenced me, I am to continue helping the team on Earth."

"That is wonderful brother, we should celebrate!"

"We do not have time, look what I found last night."

Loki handed him the tome and waited expectantly as Thor read it. Thor finished it and looked up at him.

"What are you insinuating, brother?"

"That Lilith may have some connection with this, the name, some of the titles! Surely that can get through your think skull!"

"But what if she does have nothing to do with this, what then?"

"Then I am mad, Thor, I do not know!"

Loki glared at him, trying to make Thor understand the importance of this. The voices continued their steady mumble in his head, he tried to ignore them. Thor sighed.

"I suppose we should return to Earth, we can decide what to do then."

"Good, then let's go."

"Do you not wish to say goodbye to mother?"

Loki sighed, nodding his head slightly in agreement. He concentrated and with a flick of his wrist created a projection of himself where he hoped Frigga would be.

"Oh, Loki!"

His projection appeared next to her, on her balcony. Frigga turned, a look of pleasant surprise on her face.

"Hello mother, I take it Odin has told you of my sentencing?"

"Yes, he has. Are you returning to Midgard now?"

"Indeed, I have found something interesting and desire to confront Lilith about it. I simply wish to bid you farewell, I doubt I will return any time soon."

"Of course, farewell son, I wish you luck."

Frigga reached forward, canceling the illusion, as it dissolved she smiled at him kindly. Loki returned the smile, then opened his eyes and was back in his room.

"Alright, we can go."

"Oh-right, yes, let's depart."

As they reached the passage between realms Loki turned for a moment to look at Asgard. Thor stopped and joined him, both gods gazing at the golden city fondly and a little sadly. Then Thor put a hand on Loki's shoulder.

"Come now, brother."

Loki nodded and took Thor through the rip. They appeared in Central Park, startling a flock of pigeons. A light drizzle misted their faces and they adjusted to the change in temperature. Loki heard the sound of an explosion and saw smoke rising from somewhere in the city.

"I think they may require our assistance, Thor."

"Indeed brother, it looks that way."

The two of them reached the scene of the fight, which was just outside Stark Tower, it was more Doombots.

"They are quite persistent recently."

Loki turned to Thor, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. He gave Thor a quick nod then got to work. As he whirled his way through the bots he began to pick out the rest of the team fighting the bots. Suddenly Loki crashed into someone. He whirled around, Lilith was poised to strike with dark eyes. Then she blinked.

"Oh, you're back, great timing!"

Loki gave her a wary look, but now was not the time to question her, then he nodded.

"Indeed, it seems that you all need our help."

He then made sure to get as far away from her as possible. Eventually they destroyed them all, without to much more damage, and the team regrouped. Tony landed and flipped up his mask.

"Hey, welcome back guys! Good to see you."

Thor grinned.

"Indeed friends, it is good to see you all again."

"Come on, I'll get everyone drinks."

The team sat in the main room, chatting. Tony noticed Loki sitting apart from the others and walked over to him.

"So did you find anything interesting? I noticed you staring daggers at Lilith."

"I did indeed, I am simply waiting for a good time to confront her."

"Oh, you found stuff about her?"

"Yes, well, perhaps."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"It would be hard to explain, it is all human history. I am sure you can find it on your internet."

"Er...alright…I'm glad you're back, by the way."

"Thank you, although I was only gone a few days."

Loki smirked at him. Tony grinned and raised his glass, the two of them chinked the drinks together and downed them.

In the evening Loki sat in his room, reading to ignore the voices. He had no idea how to confront Lilith, but he knew it had to be done. Then a knock on his door startled him.

"Jarvis, who is it?"

"Lilith, sir."

Loki froze, incredibly tense. He set his book down and stood up.

"Open the door."

Lilith stepped inside warily. She didn't take her eyes off Loki.

"Hello Lilith."

"Hello…er…"

"Have you come to ask what I found on Asgard? After all, my problem revolves around your powers."

"Perhaps."

Her voice was low, cautious. The voices picked up in Loki's head, stirring his emotions. His vision began to waver with shadows. He steadied himself.

"Really I could have found what I wanted on Midgard, it is all history after all. Quite a lot of history. Of a certain…Lilith."

She stared at him openly, the corners of her mouth twitching towards a grin.

"And you think I am connected to this Lilith?"

The voices his rapidly around within Loki's head.

"I was not sure, but now I think I am."

"Oh, why?"

"You seemed so delighted by my words."

Lilith gave him a crooked smile and stepped closer. Loki continued to stare her down.

"Well yes, but not as delighted as when you appeared."

She stood mere inches from him now.

"So what are you?"

"What do you think I am, Loki?"

"Not human, you would not have lived so long."

"You're quite clever, of course no human could live this long. Although this body really isn't mine…I more…created it."

She looked at him hungrily, still grinning. Loki wanted to flee, but suppressed the urge.

"I do, on occasion, take bodies…but they must be powerful, we both know humans are rarely that…but you…"

Lilith reached for him and he went to slap her hand away. Yet, when he tried, his hand passed through her arm. Loki jerked back, she continued to grin.

"You are oh-so powerful, and full of so much darkness already, you're absolutely delicious."

"My body is not yours to take."

She ignored him.

"Full of so much darkness, and yet you deny yourself, you deny your hate, your wrath, why?"

"Because I choose to."

"But you didn't before, why would you now? What could possibly have made you lock away that darkness, Laufyson?

Loki inhaled sharply. He could see the darkness coalescing around them, and Lilith still smiled a crooked grin.

"I really do prefer females, it's a personal preference I suppose, but you're your power, I shall make an exception."

"You shall not-"

The darkness rose around them and Lilith's physical form dissolved. Then the darkness crashed down upon him like a wave. His vision went dark and he felt another consciousness invade his mind.

"Even the mind of a god is easy to compromise. That does not shock me, really."

The voices had morphed into one, hers, and Loki struggled against the foreign consciousness.

"I am stronger than you!"

"Is that what you told the darkness I stirred within you? But see, you are not stronger than me."

Loki could feel nothing, see nothing, hear nothing but his mind and her consciousness.

"It was so easy to manipulate you, truly you were ever so vulnerable. Of course I know the others have darkness within them, especially Banner and Natasha, but you, you have magic. Your magic made you so easy to exploit. Now yield!"

Her voice snarled out the last two words. Loki's arms jerked erratically.

"No, never!"

For a moment Loki's vision returned. He saw his door open and Tony and Thor rush inside. Lilith took advantage of his lack in focus and attacked him again, his vision went dark once more.

"I was going to go after Doom, in fact I did, but then I learned about you. Former super villain suddenly turned good, god, magic, powerful."

Loki's magic lashed out, he could only hope it did not hurt the others.

"So you can see why I would forget about Doom, although his bots chasing me did make it easier to get closer to you, it has all worked out quite well."

Loki's awareness flicked beneath her oppression. Memories floated before his eyes, before fading. Lilith walking into his room, toasting and chatting with Tony, fighting the Doombots, returning from Asgard.

"No…no!"

She was chipping away at his memories, burying them deep, breaking down his sense of self. More memories faded. Saying goodbye to Frigga, researching in the library, returning to Asgard.

"Stop resisting, it will only cause more pain!"

Lilith's consciousness hissed, Loki's vision flickered again. The entire team stood a few feet away from him, watching with shocked expressions.

"Go…run."

Loki tried to speak but the words only sounded in his head. His vision died again as more memories faded. Escaping from the aliens with Tony, being tortured, summoning a sheild as rubble fell.

"My, you have a lot of interesting tidbits in your mind, trickster."

Loki could feel magic flowing around him, his magic, hers, mixing into a dangerous whirlwind. More memories. Fighting with the Avengers, appearing on Earth, falling off the Bifrost.

"Mmm…'I_s it not simpler, is this not your natural state_' I believe that applies to you right now, no?"

His memories were fading rapidly now, too quickly to be seen. Lilith's presence was overwhelming. Loki pushed back again. For a mom he could hear.

"What should we do?!"

"I…I don't know!"

"We could kill him, that would end it."

"No!"

"It would be quick, and better than-"

Loki's hearing failed again. Lilith's consciousness flooded him once more.

"Naughty, naughty. Why don't you just give up?"

The words he had heard still resonated in Loki's mind. Would that end it? Could she control a dead puppet? Perhaps…

"Why do you plot? You have already lost."

"I have not!"

Loki launched a counter attack. He only needed control for a few moments, that is all it would take. He pushed her presence back slightly and regained some control. He opened his eyes, the steam still stood there, Clint had his bow out, looking at Loki uncertainly. Loki locked eyes with Tony.

"Wait he's-"

Loki shook his head then looked at Clint. His hand shook as he pointed to a spot just above his heart. He forced himself to speak.

"Here…now."

Clint nodded and raised his bow. Loki's vision failed again. This would works, this had to work. If it didn't…

Loki felt the arrow pierce his chest. Lilith's consciousness flared.

"What have you-no, you will not kill me! You have wasted your life, god."

Loki began to feel the pain of the arrow, Lilith was fleeing. The pain grew.

"Please, Thor…do what I hope you will…"

His vision returned. A swirling darkness floated above him, then lightning flashed. It struck the darkness, ripping it apart. There was an earsplitting howl, then all was quiet. Thor rushed over to him, the rest of the team behind him.

"Brother! Are you back?"

"Yes…I am."

"I am sorry, we should have-"

Loki shook his head and locked eyes with Clint, then grinned.

"Good shot."

Clint was about to reply, then Loki snapped his fingers weakly, the wound on his chest began to heal ever so slowly. The team watched with looks of shock. The wound closed and Loki relaxed. Tony was the first to speak.

"You absolute ass, how many times are you going to nearly die on me?"

Loki grinned weakly.

"Well only twice so far. But really I was counting on Barton."

Clint stared at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I had hoped that you would live up to your claim and not miss, although if you had hit me in the heart I suppose it would have been warranted. After that I hope that Thor would be furious enough to do what he did. Good job on the by the way, brother."

Clint spoke up.

"But you knew I hated you, why would you trust me to shoot where you were pointing instead of just the heart?"

"Oh I knew full well you were just as likely to do that…but at least it would have been over either way. That is all I wanted."

Loki realized how hollow his last words sounded. Thor offered him a hand but Loki shook his head.

"I am fine on the floor, I may have lost a bit to much blood before I healed. My ability to stand is doubtful at this point."

* * *

After that Loki noticed that the team treated him with more trust and Tony continuously grumbled about him being a 'little shit', so Loki knew that Tony was glad that he hadn't died. One night Loki sat alone in the main room after everyone had gone to bed. He heard a noise and looked behind him, Clint had entered the room.

"Hello Barton."

"Oh, you're still awake?"

"It would seem that way. Why are you?"

Clint shrugged, hesitated, then came to sit down on the couch.

"Why are you still awake by the way, Loki?"

"I am thinking of leaving."

"What, no!?"

Loki glanced at him, then shrugged.

"I have fully recovered."

"Wha-oh bullshit, you've been recovered for months."

"Would you really mind?"

"I-you're just trying to get me to admit I want you to stay, aren't you?"

Loki grinned at him.

"Well, perhaps, and anyway I cannot leave, this is my punishment."

Clint scowled at him.

"I hate you."

Loki winked and began walking towards the hallway.

"Keep telling yourself that."

* * *

**AN:** Well this final chapter took me longer than I thought it would. I may have gotten the idea for another fic and started writing that, which slowed down this for a few days. I'm not sure where I'll take this, I left it open for more continuation, which could happen if you want to see that, but I wouldn't start on that until I finished my current fic, unless I get an idea out of the blue( which might happen, it happens a lot). I hope that you liked it, feel free to say if you want me to continue the story or not. Thanks for reading.

**Update:** I have written more on this story line now and it can be found on my profile.


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